Sentry Page Protection

Please Wait...

Unit 3 Student Login Hi, (First Name) | Log Out

Student Login

Welcome, (First Name)!

Enter Member Area

(Message automatically replaces this text)

OK

My Profile Log Out

(Unit 3) Topic 2: Interactions and Guidance ​

2 Clock Hours of Early Childhood Education

Communication Strategies 

​Topic 2 Page 10

Winning Ways to Talk to Children (Vincell), a booklet developed for child care professionals, explains communication techniques and methods to create a nurturing, enriched, and respectful environment for young children. Teachers who use positive verbal guidance are respectful of children, validate children’s feelings, and clearly communicate expectations. 

The following methods for using communication to create a winning environment for children are described in the booklet:

• Positive words communicate acceptance for each child.
• Listen attentively.
• Use “you messages” to reflect children’s ideas and feelings.
• Say “do” instead of “don’t”.
• Talk with and to children- not AT them.
• Use “I” messages to talk about your thoughts and feelings.
• Make sure you have children’s attention before you talk.
• Keep requests simple.
• Make important requests firmly.
• Talk at the child’s eye-level.
• Be courteous.
• Let children tell their stories.
• Speak kindly.

Positive communication is a significant element in creating a classroom atmosphere that is welcoming to children.

​Warm, nurturing, and respectful teacher-child relationships create cooperative interactions and reduce the incidence of negative behaviors. The following tips are useful in developing an environment that is conducive to positive teacher-child and peer interactions. 

• ​Get to know each child as a unique individual with special talents, skills, abilities, learning styles, temperament, family and culture. This will also aid you in planning activities.
• Warmly welcome each child as they arrive.
• Hug children.
• Promptly comfort children who are unhappy or in distress.
• Smile!
• Listen to your tone of voice. How would it sound to a child?
• Engage in respectful listening by actively seeking the child’s point of view to understand their perspective.
• Non-verbal behavior indicates that you are happy to be in the classroom.
• Engage in pleasant conversations with children about their interests or questions. If teacher talk is mostly instructions and activity related, observe the children and talk about their activities and interests.
• Set clear and fair expectations for the children.
• Involve children in challenging activities and tasks.
• Give children feedback that makes them think and expand their understanding.
• Guiding children’s behavior requires considering the child’s age, developmental stage, and temperament.
• Provide clear behavior expectations and hold children responsible for meeting the behavioral expectation.
• Implement consequences for negative behavior in a fair and consistent manner.

(Unit 3) Topic 2: Interactions and Guidance ​ * Navigation Menu